Molecular biology studies the molecular mechanisms of life, particularly
those responsible for genes and their expression. In the center of
molecular biology are the nucleic acids, DNA and RNA, and how they
contribute to the synthesis of proteins. After a historical introduction
(Unit 1), this course describes the basic types of DNA and RNA structure
and the molecular interactions that shape them (Unit 2). Unit 3
describes how DNA is packaged within the cellular nucleus as
chromosomes; in eukaryotes the DNA coils around histones to form
nucleosomes that comprise the chromatin of the chromosomes. The next
three units describe the core processes of molecular biology:
replication of DNA (Unit 4), transcription of DNA into messenger RNA
(Unit 5), and translation of messenger RNA into a protein (Unit 6).
These are followed by modifications of these basic processes: regulation
of gene expression (Unit 7), DNA mutation and repair (Unit 8), and DNA
recombination and transposition (Unit 9). The course concludes with
techniques commonly used in molecular biology (Unit 10, 11). These final
units are important for anyone evaluating the power of molecular
biology.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Discuss the experimental findings that lead to the discovery of
inheritance laws.

Discuss the experimental findings that lead to the identification of
DNA as the hereditary material.

Compare and contrast the structure and function of mRNA, rRNA, tRNA,
and DNA.

Requirements for Completion: In order to complete this course, you
will need to work through each unit and all of its assigned materials.
Please pay special attention to Units 4, 5, and 6, as these lay the
groundwork for understanding the more advanced, exploratory material
presented in the latter units. You will also need to complete:

Please note that you will only receive an official grade on your final
exam. However, in order to adequately prepare for this exam, you will
need to work through the problem sets within the above-listed
assessments.

In order to pass this course, you will need to earn a 70% or higher on
the final exam. Your score on the exam will be tabulated as soon as you
complete it. If you do not pass the exam, you may take it again.

Time Commitment: This course should take you a total of 135.5
hours to complete. Each unit includes a “time advisory” that lists
the amount of time you are expected to spend on each subunit. These
should help you plan your time accordingly. It may be useful to take a
look at these time advisories and determine how much time you have over
the next few weeks to complete each unit and then set goals for
yourself. For example, Unit 1 should take you approximately 10.5 hours
to complete. Perhaps you can sit down with your calendar and decide to
complete subunits 1.1 and 1.2 (a total of 3.5 hours) on Monday night,
subunit 1.3 (a total of 4.5 hours) on Tuesday night, etc.